14

Jump Start # 2284

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2284

Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.”

 

I’ve got a book that’s been sitting on my desk for some time. I pick it up once in a while and read from it, but most times it just sits there. The book is written by an elder or shepherd in a church. The subtitle tells it all: “100 tough problems church elders have faced.” And, that sums it up. Each short chapter begins with a difficult situation. From that, the author answers the problem. I assume these were all real problems. Some are not so tough. Others would make a person pull his hair out. Many of these problems and situations I have never encountered nor heard about. It makes a person wonder, what would be the best course of action if this happened.

 

Our verse has much to do with the concept of this book. Jesus came to build the church, which is people, saved people. The church is a work in progress. We are people on a journey, a journey to Heaven. Building people, like building a house or store, takes time. A new store is being built in the little town I live in. It’s taking a long time, especially with the rain and then mud these past few days. There is finally some lights on the inside of the building. It will be months still before it is opened. It takes time. Building people takes time.

 

Each of us are unique, and come with our own story, background, issues and experiences. Rarely are two the same. This is why a book like I have on my desk can be dangerous if not understood. It can’t be used as a manual. In this situation, turn to page 45 and this is what we need to do. Can’t do that. While the story may seem the same, people are different and the approach must reflect that. The Gospel isn’t a manual. We come to understand that in the teachings of Jesus. What Jesus did with Nicodemus in John 3 was not the same as the Samaritan woman in John 4. These people both needed Jesus, but they were at different places in their understanding and their background. Jesus always started where people were.

 

Having a book that works like a manual sounds great, but it keeps us from digging into God’s word. How easy it would be for a group of elders to refer to the manual book rather than the Bible. In time, the manual is more used and referred to more than the Bible. That is the danger of such things. God’s word provides enough situations for us to refer to without needing a manual.

 

One thing I have found when I have read a few of these situational examples is that I sometimes did not agree with the conclusions that the author came up with. Putting myself in those situations made me come up with different approaches, different passages to use and different ways to bring up conversations. Rather than being useful, I found myself disagreeing with what the author concluded. Now, that creates another situation, which one of us would be right? What the book said, or what I felt?

 

It also occurred to me that most elderships have enough real problems that they do not have the time, nor heart to read these other problems from this book. Life is real. Things happen. One doesn’t have to imagine what might happen, because they are too busy dealing with what really happens. It’s like laying awake in bed and imagining what would happen if my house burned down. What would I do? What would I grab first? Why go there? Why have such thoughts? The Philippians were told to let their minds dwell upon the things that were lovely, pure and of good repute. Imagining firing the preacher, or the church going bankrupt, or a zillion other horrid thoughts isn’t healthy nor is it where life is. We deal with the present. We learn from the past. We set our course for the future based upon where we are and what we know. A person can dwell upon the “what ifs” in life all day long. What if I was divorced? What if I lost my eyesight? What if I had my car stolen? I doubt the apostles thought, “What if we were in a storm on the sea?” Or, “What if a demon possessed man came running towards us, screaming?” Those things happened. Our faith in Christ is where we live. And, that’s where we must develop our heart and trust in the Lord. Imagining problems isn’t a place where one needs to go. There are enough troubles in a day, is what Jesus said. Don’t worry about tomorrow. And, don’t make up more problems.

 

I expect most of the grand Bible stories that we love involving people of faith happened without any future knowledge or planning. I doubt Noah thought about living in a boat for a year while the rest of the world died. I expect he never dreamed that would happen. I doubt David ever thought about facing a giant. But he did. Will I face cancer? Will I face the end of my life alone? We build our faith and trust in the Lord and come what may, we face it. We don’t have a manual nor a crystal ball that gives us insight into what we ought to do if this situation arises. What we do know is that we will continue to worship the Lord, trust Him with all of our hearts and know that He is always there for us.

 

Every church, as is every family, as is every person, faces different things. What you go through in life I may never experience. What I journey through may not be what you experience. My story may not help you. Your story may not help me. But the Lord’s word will help us both, no matter what we face. Strength, faith, ability, attitude, those all factor into how we face problems. Snow storms are not the same as thunderstorms. Tornados are not the same as earthquakes. Loss of job is not the same as loss of a child. Tears over a broken marriage are not the same as the tears over a broken bone. Pain hurts. We all endure pain. I may not understand what you are going through, but I can understand pain. You may not relate to me, but you know pain. And, we also know, the One who loves us, cares for us, and can help us—Jesus.

 

The best thing is to build that foundation upon the rock. Storms come. That house will stand. That’s the promise of God.

 

Roger

 

13

Jump Start # 2283

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2283

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.”

 

Sunday night I led a discussion in our teen devo. We have around twenty or more teenagers that were there. They are a lively bunch and a great group of kids. We were talking about things that bother us. I had a sheet for them to fill out that I called “The bothered factor.” I asked some questions about what bothered them and from that we talked about what we ought to do when we are bothered.

 

The first question on their sheet was to list the top three things that bother you at school. I was expecting answers like, homework or the food is terrible. Some listed a teacher or two who was hard. Some mentioned being picked on by others. But overall, nearly every one of the teens listed on their sheet cussing and profanity from other kids at school. It was nearly 100%.

 

This is becoming a regular problem in the media. Some entertainer lashes out a profanity filled explosion at her audience. Some politician unloads an angry tirade that is laced with profanity. Some sports figure can’t get through an interview without using profanity. It’s in the movies. It’s in modern music. It’s trickling in TV commercials. It’s everywhere.

 

I suppose people think that profanity and cursing gives more punch to their words. Often, a person is angry and that’s the default words they turn to when they are upset. We’ve become a cursing society. But it bothers me that young teens are experiencing it already in their lives.

 

Our verse is directed towards God’s people. Our speech must be with grace. It must be seasoned. We must think first and then speak. We cannot allow anger to choose our words for us. And with all of this cursing going on around us, our homes must become safe havens where the world is kept outside.

 

Parents must help their kids to express themselves with choice words that honor God, even when upset, disappointed or angry. It is so easy to borrow what we hear all the time from others. It’s easy to allow those foul words to become our words. In the moment of a crisis or a meltdown, our words can reveal much about our character and our heart. All the good that we try to do for others can be lost in a moment because we exploded with words that reflect the world rather than Christ.

 

What do we do? If kids are cussing at school, what are they doing outside of school? Where are they getting these words? How are they getting by using these words? Most likely it started at home and in an environment of little rules and no discipline, those behaviors only grow. Watching shows without restrictions will only feed more into young and impressionable minds. Not having a steady diet of God and His holiness in your life will only give a green light to cursing. Parents curse. Teachers curse. They curse of TV. They curse in the movies. No one is apologizing. No one is putting a stop to it. No one has a guard or a filter on their mouth. And, in such environments, it shouldn’t shock us that there is so much cursing going on at school.

 

I am thankful that all of our teens listed cursing as one of the top three things that bothered them at school. It bothers them. They are sensitive to it. They recognize that it’s not right. Thank you to their moms and dads who create a different atmosphere at home. Thank you to these sensitive hearts that love the Lord and see the difference and understand that the culture of cussing is not right, nor Biblical.

 

On the way home from the devo I thought of a guy a while back who I was trying to have a Bible study with. He was rough. His language was rough. About every fifth word that came out was a curse word. He’d say it, then he’d apologize. It got to the point where he was apologizing more than he was talking. I told him to apologize to God. I told him to take a time out. I asked him not to say anything. Just listen. I told him to think real hard. Then I asked him to tell me his story. Tell it to me slowly, real slowly, and don’t use any bad words. That didn’t work. He couldn’t do it. Profanity was so deep into his fiber that even when he tried not to, he still did.

 

Can a person ever stop cussing? Yes. Our words are our choices. It begins by thinking first. It changes when we try to speak with words that honor Christ. It changes when we enhance our vocabulary. It changes when we change our environment and we put some distance between us and other cussers. I’ve known folks who made that change. With the help of God and determination it can happen.

 

Our words are windows to our soul. What we talk about and how we say things, allows others to see what is really important to us. Be slow to speak as James puts it really helps. Catch yourself before the words come out. Change them and things will be better. Keep doing that and before long, those wrong words won’t even be the first things that come to your minds.

 

I am glad that our homes and our congregations can be places where the wrong words are rare and when they are spoken, forgiveness, correction and change follows rather than laughter and applause.

 

It doesn’t take long for people to notice that you talk differently. Keep it up. Your influence in your words may be the starting point of helping others.

 

Roger

 

12

Jump Start # 2282

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2282

Matthew 25:46 “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Heaven and hell—real topics and real places in our Lord’s teachings. Many want to move past these. They want all Heaven and no hell. However, the Lord linked the two together in the same sentence. They are both eternal. If there is no hell, then there is no Heaven. If there is a Heaven, then there is a hell. A person can’t have one without the other, even though he may want it that way.

 

Sunday, I was preaching on “How far is it to Heaven?” The writers of the N.T. didn’t see Heaven as a distant planet that we would travel to some day way out in the future. Heaven was part of their everyday dialogue and Heaven was something that directed their daily choices. They were to seek the things above and set their minds on things above. They wanted to be in Heaven. Heaven was real. Heaven was practical. Heaven was near to them.

 

I ended that lesson with a contrast. Many had never thought of it that way before. And, this is what I want to share with you today.

 

First, for many people, this world is as close to Heaven as they will ever get. In other words, this life is as good as things will ever be for them. Sprinkled around us are righteous people who are lights into the world. We see people who are walking by faith and shaping their lives after Jesus. Prayers are offered daily. God’s word is read and followed. That word is preached, loved and listened to. We see goodness and those who have the heart of a servant. That number is few compared to the others, but they are there. They are the bright spots in a dark world. But for those who have no desire to follow Christ, this is as good as it gets. The future isn’t bright. There isn’t hope on the horizon. Things are not going to turn around, not as long as they have closed their hearts to Jesus. What little goodness they see, is all they will get. Things are only going to get worse, much worse.

 

Second, for the righteous, this world is as much hell as we will ever see. This is as bad as things will get. There is hope and there is a brighter future. There is a promise to be with the Lord. There is an eternal home which is separated from all the wrong that we witness these days. So, this is as bad as it will get. There is bad news, crime, death, prejudice, hatred and sin running wild every day. The nightly news is mostly bad news. We hear things that we shouldn’t. God’s holy name is blasphemed. God’s word is mocked. More don’t care than do care. But, this is as bad as it will get for the people of God. We still can assemble with righteous people, praise God’s name and dive deeply into His word. We can raise our families to honor God and to be a people whose eyes are set on a heavenly home.

 

This is helpful for us. As tough as things are, this is as bad as it gets. Trouble, pain and suffering won’t follow us into Heaven. All the problems that plague us here will stay on this side of life. This heavenly hope creates within us a dissatisfaction with this world. We sing the song, “This world is not my home,” and, thankfully, it’s not. Peter told his readers that they were strangers and aliens here. We do not fit in here. We do things differently where we are from. We are marching to Zion.

 

So, as bad as things may be, for the righteous, there is an ending point in sight. Years ago I got on a roller coaster at a theme park. I like the old fashioned, wooden, rough and tumble type of roller coaster. This was one of those smooth, sleek, turn you upside down, and travels as fast as a bullet type. As soon as I was strapped in, it dawned on me, what a mistake this was going to be. Oh, I survived, but my heart was in my throat, my eyes popped out, and I felt like screaming like a little girl the whole time. The thought running through my mind was, “Hang on, this will be over in just a little bit.” And, it was. I got off wobbly, not sure up from down, but within seconds all was fine. And, I believe that’s the way we look at cancer, long term illness, hardships, and trouble from the standpoint of the righteous. Your heart may be in your throat. You may feel like screaming. You hold on so tight that your knuckles turn white. You close your eyes a few times. You get scared. But in your mind you realize that this will all be over in a little while. This ride will end. It will get better, because of the hope that we have in Christ.

 

Now, understand, Heaven will be so much better that what is portrayed here on earth. And, Hell will be much worse than what we see here on earth. But for some, this is as good as it gets. And, that is a sad picture. But for those walking close to the Lord, this is as bad as it gets. It’s only going to get better for us.

 

Heaven and hell—images of it right here and right now. Sure gives us much to think about doesn’t it?

 

Roger

 

11

Jump Start # 2281

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2281

Acts 8:4 “Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.”

The book of Acts reveals two fascinating details of the early church. First, we find continual upward growth. The church grew. Numbers are given as evidence. Three thousand. Then, five thousand. Then, the word used to describe the growth is “multiplied.” Village after village, the Gospel was taken.

 

The other fact isn’t as obvious, but it’s there. The secret to this growth was conversations. People talked about Jesus. There wasn’t a printing house cranking out tracts. There wasn’t videos introducing congregations. No social media. No mass media. No print media. Most didn’t even have Bibles in hand to study with others. Word of mouth. Conversations. Life lessons shared. That’s how it began and that remains the best method.

 

Sometimes I wonder if today we do everything except the conversations. We have so many tools and so many ways to show a person the word of God. We have videos of the Bible lands to show a person what the places actually looked like. We have maps. We have interactive tools. We have fill in the blank sermon note cards. Lots and lots of methods, ways and information at our finger tips. But still, what we need are conversations.

 

We need friends to talk to friends about Jesus. We need them to tell them how they have come to believe that Jesus is real and what the Bible says is true. We need to have friends sharing the wonderful ways that God has changed their lives. It’s not the programs at the church. It’s not the get togethers and the fun times, the deciding factor must be Jesus. Friends who will tell friends about Jesus.

 

We need family members to tell other family members about Jesus. We need them to show family members in the Bible just what the truth is. We need them to not be afraid but to courageously answer the questions people have. The concerns today are not about Calvinism, but rather, why do the innocent suffer? If God is so good, why is life hard? What about abortion? What about gender identity? What about right and wrong? This is what is on the minds of others. What they want are serious answers to their serious questions. Not something cute. Not something that makes very little sense. Not something that is simply repeated and not thought out. Real answers for today’s questions. Conversations. Conversations that include Jesus. Conversations that are built upon the Bible.

 

We need neighbors to have conversations with neighbors. We need co-workers to have conversations with co-workers. We need conversations with the people that serve us in restaurants, and in hospitals and in other areas of life. And, we need conversations at home. Mom, dad and the kids, all talking about God’s ways. It’s not sermons, nor lectures, but conversations. There are so many things that happen at school every day. These are wonderful times to take a person back to the Bible way. Remind. Teach. Illustrate.

 

Conversation—that’s not the Sunday sermon. There, the preacher does all the talking and the audience does all the listening. Conversation is give and take. It’s listening, as well as talking. It’s asking questions as well as answering questions. It’s not pressure. It’s not threatening. It’s engaging, inviting and including someone into a conversation that you are in love with, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

We can talk about sports so easily. We can talk about politics, even with those we disagree with. We can talk about the weather. We can talk about cooking, movies, TV shows, the traffic, the kids, the grandkids and just about anything and everything, expect when it comes to the Gospel. When we transition to that, it seems our tone, our facial expression and everything becomes so serious and we become so uncomfortable that it is obvious. It shouldn’t be that way. Maybe if we had more spiritual conversations with brethren outside of the church building, we’d become more comfortable talking with others about the Gospel. Too often, we enter a religious discussion with the goal of either changing someone or at least getting him into the baptistery. Maybe we ought to simply have a conversation and let the Lord work on the other things. Sow the seed. God will take care of the rest. Don’t focus upon the end result. Enjoy the conversation. Make it enjoyable for the other person. Make it comfortable. Build bridges and relationships. In time, more conversations.

 

Those early disciples scattered and preached the word. Conversations are a starting point.

 

Roger

 

 

 

08

Jump Start # 2280

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2280

Acts 10:31 “and he *said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.”

I was reading a book about the first men who went to the moon. This year is the 50th anniversary of that extraordinary trip in space. It was a masterful accomplishment of engineering and science. There was a lot of excitement when Neil Armstrong took those first steps upon the lunar surface. As Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon surface, pictures were taken, soil samples were gathered up and the world watched in amazement. Since the creation of the universe, no one has ever walked on the moon before this time. Houston control patched in a special call to the astronauts. President Nixon, calling from the White House, congratulated the two heroes. A phone call from the President, while you are walking on the moon! Now, that would hard to top. So few people get a personal phone call from the President, and to say it took place while on the moon?! That doesn’t happen.

And, yet, our verse today, ought to have the same impact. Cornelius, a Roman soldier, not only knew about the one true God, he had prayed to that God. Peter reported that God had heard his prayer. This is greater than a conversation on the moon. The God of all, who is eternal, heard Cornelius. It wasn’t a sublevel angel that heard the prayer. It wasn’t God’s secretary that got the message. (God doesn’t have a secretary). It was God. The one that rules the universe. The one that sends blessings every day. The one that forgives. The one that sends punishment. The one that decides when the appointed time for death. The one that sits on the throne of Heaven and earth.

 

Sometimes we don’t think too much about prayer. We do it. We hear sermons about prayer. We understand the basics about prayer. We bow our heads during church services when someone prays. We bow our heads and thank the Lord for the food we eat. We say short prayers. We say personal prayers. We pray for others. We pray for physical things. We pray for the wellbeing of the congregation. We are a praying people, which is incredible. But the magnitude of what that prayer does is something that we often just do not get.

For instance:

  • A young mother sits in the emergency room of a local hospital with a sick baby. The child has been crying all night and the mother has done all that she knows. The fever in the child continues to climb. The mother is scared. Holding her precious baby, she prays to God. She asks for mercy for her child. And, in those late night hours, when most folks are asleep, that prayer reaches God and is heard.
  • A couple is concerned about their teenage son. He is getting in trouble and is running with the wrong crowd. The parents have talked to him and even taken away some privileges, but the teen continues to go the other way. There are moments when the parents are angry with him. There are times that they feel he is reaching out. Late at night, when he ought to be in bed, he’s not. He’s not home. The father lays awake, tears streaming down his eyes, praying to God. He’s at a lost as to what to do. He doesn’t want to lose his son. That prayer reaches God and is heard.
  • A preacher sits on the front roll of the church building. Services are taking place. In a moment he will be standing behind the pulpit preaching a sermon that he has worked on all week. He hopes the lesson touches hearts. He wants the congregation to grow closer to the Lord. He says a prayer. His prayer is about his sermon. That prayer reaches God and is heard.
  • It’s meal time and a young family bows to thank the Lord before they eat. A little child wants to pray. She names her friends, the pets, her family and in the sweetness of her little heart, she thanks the Lord. That prayer reaches God and is heard.

Prayer is one of the few things that we can do anywhere and at any time. We can pray in bed, while driving down the road, while walking into a meeting, before we preach, while we sit on a roller coaster, while visiting a funeral home, while in the hospital. We can pray in crowds or while sitting alone. We can pray long and we can pray short. We can pray about ourselves and we can pray about others.

 

The fascinating thing about prayer is that God is never too busy to hear us. There is never a place that God cannot hear us. The only situation that affects our prayer is our hearts. Prayer must be in faith. Prayer must be sincere. Prayer is more than reciting memorized words that mean nothing to us. Prayer must be our words. Prayer touches the heart of God because it comes from our heart.

 

You don’t need special equipment to pray. You don’t have to be in the right location for prayer. You don’t have to wait for a signal to pray. Prayer is asking. Prayer is thanking. Prayer is praising. Prayer is you recognizing that God is and that He can hear you.

 

Talking to the President while walking on the moon is amazing. Talking to God everyday is even more amazing. The same God that Noah talked to. The same God that Abraham talked to. The same God that Jesus talked to. The same God that our forefathers talked to. Now, you and I get to talk to Him. We don’t stand in line and get one chance. Pray without ceasing, defines our relationship and our communication with God.

 

Your prayers have been heard! What a wonderful thought!

Roger